- A massive spike in COVID-19 case numbers is about to send London into the UK’s strictest level of coronavirus lockdown
- Many pubs and restaurants will close as Greater London and parts of two neighbouring counties go into Tier 3 restrictions
- However, a nation-wide easing of restrictions over the Christmas break will allow up to three households to mix together indoors
- In recent days, a new variant of COVID-19 has surfaced in the UK, with over 1,000 cases already identified
- News of the mutation has sparked serious fears about its severity and reaction to the recently released vaccine
A massive spike in COVID-19 case numbers is about to send London into the UK’s strictest level of coronavirus lockdown.
As of Wednesday, Greater London and parts of two neighbouring counties, Essex and Hertfordshire, will go into Tier Three restrictions. Under this level of the regional lockdown system, all pubs and restaurants in the area will be forced to close, unless they offer takeaway or delivery options.
Despite the supposed strictness of Tier Three restrictions, venues including shops, schools, and gyms will be allowed to stay open.
Also, a nation-wide easing of restrictions will take place over the Christmas break from December 23 to December 27. During this upcoming period, up to three different households will be able to mix together indoors at home.
It remains to be seen how the Tier Three restrictions and ensuing Christmas mingling soon after will impact the UK’s snowballing COVID-19 case numbers.
On top of this existing battle, England’s struggle against the COVID-19 pandemic has just gotten even more serious. In recent days, a new variant of the virus has surfaced in the UK, with over 1,000 cases already identified.
The emergence of this new strain may potentially be connected to a surge of COVID-19 cases in the south of England. However, it is likely that it is still too early to tell how, where, and when the variant arose.
News of the mutation has sparked serious fears about its severity and reaction to the recently released vaccine. The UK began administering Pfizer’s newly approved COVID-19 vaccine to the general population just last week.
The UK’s Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, commented on concerns surrounding the new strain of COVID-19.
“Initial analysis suggests that this variant is growing faster than the existing variants,” he admitted.
“I must stress at this point that there is currently nothing to suggest that the variant is more likely to cause serious disease, and the latest clinical advice is that it’s highly unlikely that this mutation would fail to respond to a vaccine,” he added.